THE PRICE OF BEING THIN

With more people turning to weight-loss injections to shed a few pounds, we explore the risks of buying these medications without a prescription

You can buy almost anything online now. Food, fashion, holidays - it's all just a few clicks away. But with shopping online now easier than ever, it's also caused a surge in counterfeit products being sold on the black market. Some of those products are fake weight-loss injections.

Most brands are only available through the NHS on prescription, and patients must meet certain requirements. But those who don't are turning to less-than-legitimate means to secure the injections.

Worryingly, a spate of social media ads have cropped up promoting salons, beauticians and aesthetics clinics that give weight-loss injections to anyone who wants one, for the right price - no prescription needed.

Only, often people aren't getting the medication they paid for, and in some cases are actually injecting insulin, which can be fatal for people who don't have diabetes.

We speak to one woman who was hospitalised after using a 'black market' weight-loss jab that turned out to be fake...

‘It could have killed me’

Jennifer Finestone, 37, is a skincare specialist who

I’ve never been overweight but, like many women, I’ve always felt as though I could lose a few pounds. At 5ft 2in, even the tiniest bit of weight gained looked really obvious on me, and I was self-conscious about my body.

So in February 2023, in preparation for being a bridesmaid that summer, I turned to weight-loss injections. I’d seen all the hype about them online, and thought I’d give them a try.